LITERARY TERMS

By, Jacob Fournier

PURITAN PLAIN

Puritan Plain- A style of writing that stresses simplicity and

clarity of expression.

Piece: Of Plymouth Plantation

Text: “These troubles being blown over, and now all being

compact together in one ship, they put to sea again with a

prosperous wind, which continued divers days together, which was

some encouragement unto them; yet according to the usual manner

many were afflicted with sea sickness.”

Example: William Bradford is known for his plain style of

writing, this piece in literature shows simplicity and

characteristic. As you can see in this sentence there is

nothing that is complicated, no complicated style of writing.

PURITAN PLAIN

C

ontinued..

M

y Sentence: Is death the beginning of

E

ternal darkness, or the start of eternal

L

ight in a far off place?

ARCHAISMS

A

rchaisms- Words that are no longer in general use.

P

iece: Huswifery

T

ext: “And make Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, wind quills:”

(“Thy,” and “quills” are no longer words that are in general

use.)

ARCHAISMS

Thou presence in thy house

of being is not obliged.

ALLUSIONS

A

llusions- A reference to someone or something that is known from

history, literature, religion, sports, politics, science, or some other

branch of culture

T

ext from: Slave Narrative

T

ext: His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. (The Prince of Wales

is known from politics)

ALLUSIONS

P

resident Obama is trying to hold his position about

president against Mitt Romney in this presidential

election.

INVERSION

A

reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase

T

ext: To My Dear and Loving Husband

T

ext example: “That when we live no more, we may live ever.”

T

his is not the typical order in which this sentence would normally

be phrased it would be something like. “When we no longer live, we

may live forever.”

INVERSION

“

Hello, well are you today?”

ANAPHORA T

he repetition of a word or words at the beginning of a line, clause, or

sentence

T

ext: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

S

o that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the

pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced

to it; and God is dreadfully provoked, his anger is as great towards

them as to those that are actually suffering the executions of the

fierceness of his wrath in hell. (there are many examples of where he

starts the sentences of clauses with “The hand of God.”

ANAPHORA

M

y example-

“

We will always be strong. We will always

b

e together. We will always be one.”

MYTH

M

yth- Traditional stories passed down from generation

to generation.

M

yth- Earth on a turtle’s back.

SLAVE NARRATIVE

S

lave Narrative- Autobiographical account of life as

slave

S

lave Narrative- The Interesting Life of Olaudah

Equiano

CONCEIT

C

onceit- an elaborate, extended metaphor.

H

uswifery- “Make me Thy loom then, knit therein

this twine:

A

nd make Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, wind quills”

CONCEIT

M

y example.

A

ll the world's a stage,

“And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances.”

APOSTROPHE A

naphora- A figure of speech in which a speaker directly

address a person who is not there.

T

ext example Huswifery

T

ext: “Make me, O Lord, Thy spinning-wheel complete.”

APOSTROPHE

M

y example: “Brother, how I miss your company

from across the seas, your country thanks you for

your service.”